Temple of the Sebastoi

Last updated

The Temple of the Sebastoi in Ephesus, formerly called the Temple of Domitian, is a Roman temple dedicated to the Imperial cult of the Flavian dynasty. It was dedicated in CE 89/90 under the reign of Domitian. Its contemporary name is known from an adjacent inscription. [1]

Contents

"Sebastoi" (lit.'venerable ones') refers to the imperial dynasty; it is the plural of sebastos , the Greek rendering of the Roman imperial title Augustus .

The city of Ephesus was the first to be named neokoros (lit. 'temple-warden') thanks to this temple. [1]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Steven J. Friesen, Imperial Cults and the Apocalypse of John, 2001, p. 43-55

Bibliography


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domitian</span> 11th Roman emperor from AD 81 to 96

Domitian was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavian dynasty. Described as "a ruthless but efficient autocrat", his authoritarian style of ruling put him at sharp odds with the Senate, whose powers he drastically curtailed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ephesus</span> Ancient city in Turkey

Ephesus was a city in ancient Greece on the coast of Ionia, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) southwest of present-day Selçuk in İzmir Province, Turkey. It was built in the 10th century BC on the site of Apasa, the former Arzawan capital, by Attic and Ionian Greek colonists. During the Classical Greek era, it was one of twelve cities that were members of the Ionian League. The city came under the control of the Roman Republic in 129 BC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st century</span> Century

The 1st century was the century spanning AD 1 (I) through AD 100 (C) according to the Julian calendar. It is often written as the 1st century AD or 1st century CE to distinguish it from the 1st century BC which preceded it. The 1st century is considered part of the Classical era, epoch, or historical period. The 1st century also saw the appearance of Christianity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titus</span> 10th Roman emperor from AD 79 to 81

Titus Caesar Vespasianus was Roman emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domitia Longina</span> Wife of the Roman emperor Domitian (c. AD 53/55 – c. 126/130)

Domitia Longina was a Roman empress and wife to the Roman emperor Domitian. She was the youngest daughter of the general and consul Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo. Domitia divorced her first husband, Lucius Aelius Lamia Plautius Aelianus in order to marry Domitian in AD 71. The marriage produced only one son, whose early death is believed to have been the cause of a temporary rift between Domitia and her husband in 83. She became the empress upon Domitian's accession in 81, and remained so until his assassination in 96. She is believed to have died sometime between AD 126 and 130.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Egypt</span> Roman province that encompassed most of modern-day Egypt

Egypt was a subdivision of the Roman Empire from Rome's invasion of the Ptolemaic Egyptian Kingdom after the battle of Alexandria in 30 BC to its loss by the Byzantine Empire to the Islamic conquests in AD 641. The province encompassed most of modern-day Egypt except for the Sinai, and was bordered by the provinces of Crete and Cyrenaica to the west and Judea, later Arabia Petraea, to the East. Egypt came to serve as a major producer of grain for the empire and had a highly developed urban economy. Aegyptus was by far the wealthiest Eastern Roman province, and by far the wealthiest Roman province outside of Italy. The population of Roman Egypt is unknown, although estimates vary from 4 to 8 million. Alexandria, its capital, was the largest port and second largest city of the Roman Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flavian dynasty</span> Roman imperial dynasty (r. AD 69–96)

The Flavian dynasty ruled the Roman Empire between AD 69 and 96, encompassing the reigns of Vespasian (69–79), and his two sons Titus (79–81) and Domitian (81–96). The Flavians rose to power during the civil war of 69, known as the Year of the Four Emperors. After Galba and Otho died in quick succession, Vitellius became emperor in mid 69. His claim to the throne was quickly challenged by legions stationed in the Eastern provinces, who declared their commander Vespasian emperor in his place. The Second Battle of Bedriacum tilted the balance decisively in favour of the Flavian forces, who entered Rome on 20 December. The following day, the Roman Senate officially declared Vespasian emperor of the Roman Empire, thus commencing the Flavian dynasty. Although the dynasty proved to be short-lived, several significant historic, economic and military events took place during their reign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serapeum</span> Temple dedicated to Serapis

A serapeum is a temple or other religious institution dedicated to the syncretic Greco-Egyptian deity Serapis, who combined aspects of Osiris and Apis in a humanized form that was accepted by the Ptolemaic Greeks of Alexandria. There were several such religious centers, each of which was a serapeion or, in its Latinized form, a serapeum. An Egyptian name for the temple of Osiris-Apis was Pr-Wsỉr-Ḥp "House of Osiris-Apis".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imperial fora</span> Series of monumental squares in Rome

The Imperial Fora are a series of monumental fora, constructed in Rome over a period of one and a half centuries, between 46 BC and 113 AD. The fora were the center of the Roman Republic and of the Roman Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neokoros</span>

Neokoros, plural neokoroi (νεωκόροι), was a sacral office in Ancient Greece associated with the custody of a temple. Under the Roman Empire, the neocorate became a distinction awarded to cities that had built temples to the emperors or had established cults of members of the Imperial family.

Casperius Aelianus who served as Praetorian Prefect under the emperors Domitian and Nerva, was a Praetorian Prefect loyal to the Roman Emperor Domitian, the last of the Flavian dynasty. After Domitian's murder and the ascension of the Emperor Nerva, Aelianus laid siege to the Imperial Capital in order to force the capture of the men responsible for Domitian's death, who had not been punished by Nerva. Aelianus succeeded in his demands, greatly weakening the authority of the Emperor so much that Nerva realized that his position was no longer tenable without the support of an heir who had the approval of the Roman army. Within two or three months Nerva announced the adoption of the highly respected general Trajan as his successor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman imperial cult</span> Identification of emperors with divine authority

The Roman imperial cult identified emperors and some members of their families with the divinely sanctioned authority (auctoritas) of the Roman State. Its framework was based on Roman and Greek precedents, and was formulated during the early Principate of Augustus. It was rapidly established throughout the Empire and its provinces, with marked local variations in its reception and expression.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple of Vespasian and Titus</span> Imperial-era temple in the Roman Forum

The Temple of Vespasian and Titus is located in Rome at the western end of the Roman Forum between the Temple of Concordia and the Temple of Saturn. It is dedicated to the deified Vespasian and his son, the deified Titus. It was begun by Titus in 79 after Vespasian's death and Titus's succession. Titus’ brother, Domitian, completed and dedicated the temple to Titus and Vespasian in approximately 87.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forum of Nerva</span> Ancient Roman imperial forum, a landmark of Rome, Italy

Forum of Nerva is an ancient structure in Rome, Italy, chronologically the next to the last of the Imperial fora built.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nerva</span> Roman emperor from AD 96 to 98

Nerva was Roman emperor from 96 to 98. Nerva became emperor when aged almost 66, after a lifetime of imperial service under Nero and the succeeding rulers of the Flavian dynasty. Under Nero, he was a member of the imperial entourage and played a vital part in exposing the Pisonian conspiracy of 65. Later, as a loyalist to the Flavians, he attained consulships in 71 and 90 during the reigns of Vespasian and Domitian, respectively. On 18 September 96, Domitian was assassinated in a palace conspiracy involving members of the Praetorian Guard and several of his freedmen. On the same day, Nerva was declared emperor by the Roman Senate. As the new ruler of the Roman Empire, he vowed to restore liberties which had been curtailed during the autocratic government of Domitian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple of Artemis</span> Ancient Greek temple in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk, Turkey)

The Temple of Artemis or Artemision, also known as the Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to an ancient, local form of the goddess Artemis. It was located in Ephesus. By 401 AD it had been ruined or destroyed. Only foundations and fragments of the last temple remain at the site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple of Quirinus</span>

The Temple of Quirinus was an ancient Roman temple built on the western half of the Quirinal Hill near the Capitolium Vetus, on a site which now equates to the junction between Via del Quirinale and Via delle Quattro Fontane, beside Piazza Barberini. Domitian later built the Temple of the gens Flavia nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple of the gens Flavia</span>

The Temple of the tribe of Flavia was a Roman temple on the Quirinal Hill, dedicated by Domitian at the end of the 1st century to other members of the Flavian dynasty. It was sited at the ad Malum Punicum, on a site near the present-day junction of Via XX Settembre and Via delle Quattro Fontane. This site was near the residences of Vespasian and Vespasian's brother Titus Flavius Sabinus.

The Sanctuary of Isis and the Magna Mater was a sanctuary in Mainz, dedicated to Isis and Magna Mater.

Asiarch was a prominent position in the Roman province of Asia, the nature of which is not entirely clear. The Asiarchs were probably the annual representatives of the most important cities in the province, who presided over the provincial assembly and had to organize and carry out the public games in honor of the gods and in the Roman imperial cult at their expense. Asiarchs were based in the cities where this festival took place and where the temples of the gods concerned were located, for example Ephesus and Pergamon. They were elected by the cities and confirmed by the Roman proconsul. Asiarchs are known from numerous inscriptions, but are also mentioned in Acts (19:31) and in the Martyrdom of Polycarp..